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Church Recording is an important activity where a group of society members make detailed inventories of all artefacts in a church, as well as accurately recording their position within the church. 

The Church Recording team are currently recording at St Peter's Church, Bishops Waltham.

Church Recording News July 2026

The church recording team have been working on the church of St Peter, Bishop’s Waltham, since August 2025. There are 19 in the team (9 from Sarisbury Green, 7 from Solent and 3 National supporters / other AS).  Eight of us have worked on previous churches, so the majority are new, and settling in well. We meet at the church on the fourth Tuesday of each month, from 10-12. There is space for a few more volunteers if anyone would like to join us. 


The church dates back to the 12th century, so there are centuries of artefacts to record. As an example, the initial count of Woodwork items was over 100, so we had to get guidance from Arts Society HQ on how we could combine similar items into groups. And the church is evolving - since we started some pews have been removed. It is likely that all the kneelers will go, so we are trying to record them before they vanish. Kneelers are often very personal items for members of the congregation.
We are very well supported by the church wardens. The Hampshire Medieval Graffiti team have been round to note down all the scratches on wood and walls, and the curator of Bishop's Waltham museum gave us a very helpful talk about the church.

If you have any queries, please contact:

Valerie Archibald, Group leader, Sarisbury Green and Solent church recorders
valeriearchibald@yahoo.com

 

Church Recording Progress Report - May 2025

The Church Recording team have  finished recording the church of St John the Baptist at Shedfield. We are looking for volunteers to help record the interior of the next church, St Peter’s in Bishops Waltham. This church dates back to the 12th century, so its contents span eight centuries of art and architecture. We visit the church once a month, and no previous experience is needed as full training will be provided. If you are interest in volunteering, please contact Valerie Archibald at valeriearchibald@yahoo.com. 

Church Recording Progress Report - May 2024

The team is made up of 13 Arts Society members from both Solent and Sarisbury Green. Although church recording is now overseen by the Church Recording Society, volunteers need to be Arts Society members. We are recording the interior of the church of St John the Baptist, in Shedfield, which was built between 1875 and 1895. Our final record will have ten sections. We started our monthly visits in late 2021; we have completed two sections and hope to finish by the end of 2024. 

Although Shedfield is a small village, the church has benefited from the financial support of local families, and the interior is richly furnished. A few items have survived from an earlier Chapel of Ease on the same site. We have found a wealth of information at Hampshire Record Office, and from parishioners.

It has been interesting to find local family names recurring on items around the church. We have had several ascents of the bell tower, not just to see the bells but also to record other items there, including the tower clock, peal boards and photographs, as well as an Ellacombe apparatus (a Georgian bell ringing mechanism). A recent discovery on the wooden organ case are the scratched names and inscriptions from the boys who pumped the organ up to 1945. The church were not aware of these graffiti.

During a recent visit, a parishioner came in with a huge family bible that he is giving to the church. The bible dates to 1846, so is older than the church. There was much oohing and aahing from the team, a bit like the arrival of a new baby! Needless to say, it will be added to our record.

Church Recording Project, completed 2021

The Church of St Mary, Portchester

In 2012 a volunteer team from Solent DFAS started recording the Church of St. Mary, within the Castle Walls at Portchester.  This Norman Church of great simplicity and beauty, was built in the 1120s of Isle of Wight stone for a community of Augustinian monks from France. The Recorders are describing the whole of the interior furnishings in nine sections: Memorials, Metalwork, Stonework, Woodwork, Textiles, Paintings, Library, Windows, and Miscellaneous. The completed record will be presented to St Mary's, with copies going to the National Archive, the V&A Museum, the Church Commisioners and the Hampshire Record Office, where they will be stored and made available for researchers.

At last in November 2021  a few of the Committee and the Church Recorders met at the Community Centre to view the final bound copy of St Marys Church in Portchester. Heather Stewart has been labouring away over the last couple of years finalising this final bound copy. It was a delight to meet again and to see all the hard work finalised in a beautiful bound copy. This has recently been presented to St Marys Church. Heather was presented with a small token of appreciation from the Chairman and Committee.

INTERESTING ITEMS AT ST MARY'S

Bells There are three bells in the Bell Tower. The Tenor bears the date 1589 and the inscription 'Obey God and the Prince', the second Tenor 1632 and the inscription 'In God is My Hope' and the Treble 1633. Elizabeth 1 decreed that bells should be rung in churches where she visited - she worshipped at St Mary's during her visits to Porchester Castle. The bells are rung from ropes in the Bell Chamber, below the Bell Tower. There is a small hole in the floor of the Bell Chamber that enables the bellringers to see the bride and groom leave to walk back down the aisle after they have signed the Register.

Queen Anne Bounty This painting on canvas depicts the Royal Arms of Queen Anne, as used until 1714. In 1705 the parishioners petitioned Queen Anne for a grant to restore damage perpetrated by Dutch prisoners of war, who were held in the church and some of the Priory buildings. The petition was granted and a sum of £100 was raised from the sale of firewood cut down in Windsor forest.

West Doorway The fine Norman doorway shows elaborately carved archways resting on twisted shafts with carved capitals. Above the capitals are symbolic figures representing Pisces and Sagittarius.

Font The 12th Century Font, one of the oldest in the County, is carved out of a block of Caen limestone. Encircling the bowl are intricate carvings of birds, serpents and cherubs, believed to represent the Garden of Eden.

Church Recording is an important activity where a group of society members make detailed inventories of all artefacts in a church, as well as accurately recording their position within the church. 

The Church Recording team are currently recording at St Peter's Church, Bishops Waltham.

Church Recording News July 2026

The church recording team have been working on the church of St Peter, Bishop’s Waltham, since August 2025. There are 19 in the team (9 from Sarisbury Green, 7 from Solent and 3 National supporters / other AS).  Eight of us have worked on previous churches, so the majority are new, and settling in well. We meet at the church on the fourth Tuesday of each month, from 10-12. There is space for a few more volunteers if anyone would like to join us. 


The church dates back to the 12th century, so there are centuries of artefacts to record. As an example, the initial count of Woodwork items was over 100, so we had to get guidance from Arts Society HQ on how we could combine similar items into groups. And the church is evolving - since we started some pews have been removed. It is likely that all the kneelers will go, so we are trying to record them before they vanish. Kneelers are often very personal items for members of the congregation.
We are very well supported by the church wardens. The Hampshire Medieval Graffiti team have been round to note down all the scratches on wood and walls, and the curator of Bishop's Waltham museum gave us a very helpful talk about the church.

If you have any queries, please contact:

Valerie Archibald, Group leader, Sarisbury Green and Solent church recorders
valeriearchibald@yahoo.com

 

Church Recording Progress Report - May 2025

The Church Recording team have  finished recording the church of St John the Baptist at Shedfield. We are looking for volunteers to help record the interior of the next church, St Peter’s in Bishops Waltham. This church dates back to the 12th century, so its contents span eight centuries of art and architecture. We visit the church once a month, and no previous experience is needed as full training will be provided. If you are interest in volunteering, please contact Valerie Archibald at valeriearchibald@yahoo.com. 

Church Recording Progress Report - May 2024

The team is made up of 13 Arts Society members from both Solent and Sarisbury Green. Although church recording is now overseen by the Church Recording Society, volunteers need to be Arts Society members. We are recording the interior of the church of St John the Baptist, in Shedfield, which was built between 1875 and 1895. Our final record will have ten sections. We started our monthly visits in late 2021; we have completed two sections and hope to finish by the end of 2024. 

Although Shedfield is a small village, the church has benefited from the financial support of local families, and the interior is richly furnished. A few items have survived from an earlier Chapel of Ease on the same site. We have found a wealth of information at Hampshire Record Office, and from parishioners.

It has been interesting to find local family names recurring on items around the church. We have had several ascents of the bell tower, not just to see the bells but also to record other items there, including the tower clock, peal boards and photographs, as well as an Ellacombe apparatus (a Georgian bell ringing mechanism). A recent discovery on the wooden organ case are the scratched names and inscriptions from the boys who pumped the organ up to 1945. The church were not aware of these graffiti.

During a recent visit, a parishioner came in with a huge family bible that he is giving to the church. The bible dates to 1846, so is older than the church. There was much oohing and aahing from the team, a bit like the arrival of a new baby! Needless to say, it will be added to our record.

Church Recording Project, completed 2021

The Church of St Mary, Portchester

In 2012 a volunteer team from Solent DFAS started recording the Church of St. Mary, within the Castle Walls at Portchester.  This Norman Church of great simplicity and beauty, was built in the 1120s of Isle of Wight stone for a community of Augustinian monks from France. The Recorders are describing the whole of the interior furnishings in nine sections: Memorials, Metalwork, Stonework, Woodwork, Textiles, Paintings, Library, Windows, and Miscellaneous. The completed record will be presented to St Mary's, with copies going to the National Archive, the V&A Museum, the Church Commisioners and the Hampshire Record Office, where they will be stored and made available for researchers.

At last in November 2021  a few of the Committee and the Church Recorders met at the Community Centre to view the final bound copy of St Marys Church in Portchester. Heather Stewart has been labouring away over the last couple of years finalising this final bound copy. It was a delight to meet again and to see all the hard work finalised in a beautiful bound copy. This has recently been presented to St Marys Church. Heather was presented with a small token of appreciation from the Chairman and Committee.

INTERESTING ITEMS AT ST MARY'S

Bells There are three bells in the Bell Tower. The Tenor bears the date 1589 and the inscription 'Obey God and the Prince', the second Tenor 1632 and the inscription 'In God is My Hope' and the Treble 1633. Elizabeth 1 decreed that bells should be rung in churches where she visited - she worshipped at St Mary's during her visits to Porchester Castle. The bells are rung from ropes in the Bell Chamber, below the Bell Tower. There is a small hole in the floor of the Bell Chamber that enables the bellringers to see the bride and groom leave to walk back down the aisle after they have signed the Register.

Queen Anne Bounty This painting on canvas depicts the Royal Arms of Queen Anne, as used until 1714. In 1705 the parishioners petitioned Queen Anne for a grant to restore damage perpetrated by Dutch prisoners of war, who were held in the church and some of the Priory buildings. The petition was granted and a sum of £100 was raised from the sale of firewood cut down in Windsor forest.

West Doorway The fine Norman doorway shows elaborately carved archways resting on twisted shafts with carved capitals. Above the capitals are symbolic figures representing Pisces and Sagittarius.

Font The 12th Century Font, one of the oldest in the County, is carved out of a block of Caen limestone. Encircling the bowl are intricate carvings of birds, serpents and cherubs, believed to represent the Garden of Eden.